Where are you spending most of your time?

I was out for my Sunday stroll yesterday, enjoying the day. There were many things on my mind, I was having a little stroll down memory lane. I know that we all do it from time to time, but what I was really thinking was- there are different ways we spend our time. Sometimes, we live in the past, in the present, in the ‘what if’ or the ‘not yet’. Let’s look at them shall we?

It’s not wrong to take a look at the past. We need to do it from time to time to understand the events that led us to the present. These are valuable moments. The tricky part is to not get caught up in the past- maybe it’s the really good stuff that you want to stay in, but here’s the thing. It’s not here anymore. That’s why it’s past. Getting stuck there doesn’t allow you to move forward.

I feel like the past could be tied to the ‘what if’. What if it had turned out like this? What if I had made this choice instead of that one? The ‘what if’ is a slippery slope. Life twists and turns exactly how it’s supposed to. You can what if all you want, it doesn’t change the past.

You could look at the ‘what if’ as a great way to move you forward. What if I take this job? What if I stop eating sugar? What if I take a class and learn something new? The ‘what if’ looking forward is moving you in the direction you need to go.

Then we have the present. Are you here now? Are you actively enjoying this day, however it shows up? I had to remind myself of this very thing on my walk yesterday- it was perfect. Not too hot, there was a breeze, the leaves were gently falling. We know we only have this moment right now, but we often fail to notice it.

Then there is the not yet. This is perhaps my favorite part. I know the not yet is in the future and it hasn’t happened yet, but this is the space where you are becoming. I am not yet where I want to be, but am on my way. The choices that I make today, move me in the direction I am supposed to go. Yes, sometimes it is one step forward and two steps back, but there is still a step forward.

Today, think about the space in your head today. Are you in the past, the present, the what if, or the not yet? If you are in the past, move one space to the present, if you are in the present move to the possibility of the what if or the not yet. Practice enough and you will find yourself exactly where you should be and in a place better than you thought you would be.